Addicted | Genshin x Male! Reader

𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒖𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑬𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝑰𝒏 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑬𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆

Chapter I, Act IV: Prelude, Part IV

Paimon ended woke up in the middle of the fight when you three were raiding the Temple. You ended up explaining to Paimon about the details that she missed out on when she was out and you also made sure you gave her a restorative dish in case of whatever that letter had put on her.

She still felt too dizzy to float so she ended up sitting on your head which you did not sign up and lucky for her that she's light or else you would've told her to get off. Still, it's a bit uncomfortable to feel someone's butt on your head. "Just a few Abyss Mages? Seems like that Herald might have already left." He sounded disappointed and angry while Aether became more curious about the Abyss.

"Could you tell me more about the Abyss Order?" Aether asked as Dainsleif started to contemplate for a moment before answering his question.

"The Abyss... It is chaos, and it is also destruction. It is a morass of inconceivable madness that encroaches upon this world's very foundations. That... is why even the Dragon of the East, a servant of a deity, was unable to resist its corrosive powers. And the creatures of the Abyss desire nothing less than the overthrow of a world ruled by the archons." He said sounded angry yet so... sad when he explained it before looking at you when explain.

Why did he look at you like that? You were tied with Khaenri'ah, meaning you were also involved with the Abyss. "You seem to know a lot about the Abyss, Dain," Paimon stated which surprised you that she already called him with a nickname.

Dainsleif seems unbothered though when she suddenly called him with that nickname. He only chuckled at her statement before saying, "Well, we do have... some history. I suppose that's as far as chit-chat goes. We should head to Wolvendom. Judging by the traces I'm following, their next appearance may be within the territory of that old wolf. Perhaps we may find our Abyss Herald there." He said, picking up the Wolfhook on the ground before he made his way before you and Aether could even more.

The moment you stepped out of the Temple, he had disappeared. "...He's really quick," Aether commented as you wondered if the game said something about him teleporting away but well, you made your way to Wolvendom.

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Meanwhile...

In the Abyss...

The darkness and emptiness of the Abyss were filled by Astra's screaming for his own life as he ran away from the Riffhounds. "I HATE THIS SO MUCH. WHY ME?!" He screeched while Corazon just s his laugh his ass off watching Astra being chased by the dogs while he took care of the Ruin Sentinels with ease.

Astra was simply a humble hilichurl that usually either fought with a bat, a bow, or with his hand but... he was not good at that. He was stupid to know how to shoot with the Electro Crystal, Frozen-headed Arrows and learn how to coat the arrow with a thin layer of flammable materials. He also couldn't deal with slimes well like others as they just went aggressive to him.

Astra is basically useless in his tribes but none of the tribes dare to tell him. He was bullied (and thanks to you and Diluc, he hadn't been bullied ever since) because of the number of arrows he had missed and unprofessionally swinging the bat. If you ask him to fight with his fist... That's the only way he could fight and quite decent. Though due to this, the Abyss had shown zero interest in controlling him and even cast an anti-corrosive spell so no newbie Abyss Mage made a mistake in recruiting him in the Abyss again.

Of course, Astra is absolutely clueless about this. In the end, Orochi had appeared to save him from being eaten by the dogs. The moment Orochi appeared, Corazon began to frown as he got rid of the other Sentinels that came for him. Being an Abyss Herald surely made things easier than an Abyss Mage, which he was willing to admit but he still hated the appearance form.

"Bringing a hilichurl here might be the worst mistake... Corazon, you better protect him while gathering the items. You don't want the worst thing to happen to Y/N, do you?" Orochi asked, giving Corazon a threatening look while Corazon rolled his eyes.

"Looking at your ability, why bother sending us away from him?" Corazon asked. He knew very well the time gap here and on the world above. Time here moves so slowly than the world above. So slow to the point you can't tell how many minutes had passed. Once you got accustomed to the time in the Abyss, it already meant you had become a part of the Abyss and slowly been corrupted into a monster.

He felt a bit unease now that he had spent his time here while Orochi seemed busy residing in your body, doing who knows what. "Somebody had to protect that brat," Orochi answered simply which earned a frown from Corazon.

"You could've let Aether protect him. He surely strong enough to lay hands on anyone who dares hurt Y/N." Corazon stated while Astra panicked at the in-between them, knowing how much Corazon despised him but his statement was responded with Orochi's laughter.

"Even that strong Traveler can't even protect him when there's a day when it comes to face a god and not everyone could control the corrosive powers he had inside him. You don't have any idea how much Abyssal energy he had consumed in the past." Orochi said before pulling out what looks like a small crystal orb in his hand with pure corrupt energy inside it.

Astra suddenly fell dropped down to the ground, covering his ears, trembling and coughing. It was enough to make a hilichurl that's already corrupted by this energy be in that state. Corazon who had always been in the Abyss for most of his entire life also fear the energy he held.

"If I wasn't inside his body consuming this shit every single day in his memory, he will destroy Teyvat just by letting this chaos energy loose," Orochi explained before eating it fully. "And that's why I am asking you to fight every single thing that will drop items so we could remove this excess energy inside him. Focus on the mission. And Astra, you are useless, I'm going to give a task for you to do." Orochi ordered as Astra pouted.

"What... I can't return to him?" Astra complained as Orochi just shook his head. Astra groaned as Corazon still doubt Orochi but saw that corruptive energy means something. Should he really be believing the demon?

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On the other side...

In Stormterror's Lair...

You did a few investigating at the Wolvendom, near the King of Wolf's area but there was nothing much regarding the Abyss Herald. As you expected of course. For some strange reason, the memory of Andrius being tied while an Abyss Herald trying to corrupt him was fresh in your mind as you looked at the arena.

The moment you arrived at the Stormterror's Lair, you heard Dainsleif's saying, "I've heard about what happened to you during Mondstadt's crisis. When you came, this place was known as Stormterror's Lair. But I suppose that this place is more "lair" than "Stormterror" at this point. In fact, if my memory serves, this ruin has had largely nothing to do with that dragon for a long time. The first time I laid eyes upon the ruins of Old Mondstadt, the Dragon of the East had yet to fall, much less come to nest in this place."

As soothing as his voice was when he said that, you've just realized that he had exposed how old he was when he stated that as Paimon gave him a confused look while stating that Dvalin got in trouble a few hundred years ago. He realized that he subconsciously told you three about his thought on the place before telling you three not to think too much about it.

"Do you remember the Light Actuators that once sealed this ruin? If the Abyss Order is interested in this location, then they will not neglect those mechanisms. Let's go see what the situation is at those Light Actuators." He changed the topics before you three followed him deep inside the Stormterror's Lair.

Up ahead, there were a bunch of monsters on the light actuator as Paimon pointed it out. Aether jumped in to fight the monster but you looked up above on the cliff, seeing Lumine on top of the cliff. You two made eye contact but you only smiled at her before fighting the Abyss Mage that decided to appear behind Aether.

Lumine looked at you in confusion, wondering why you shot a smile at her as if you knew you'll appear. "Just what are you planning..."

TO BE CONTINUED...